


Lean On Me

by CaptainAwesome242



Category: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types
Genre: Character Study, Friend Fiction, Friendship, Gen, Han Is A Good Guy, Male Friendship, Millennium Falcon - Freeform, Post-Battle of Yavin, Sad Luke, Sharing Clothes, Yavin 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 14:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12866043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainAwesome242/pseuds/CaptainAwesome242
Summary: Luke has a problem, and Han is there to help him out.Or, my take on where Luke got the clothes he wears at the Medal Ceremony from.





	Lean On Me

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Lean On Me by Bill Withers

The morning dawned bright the day after the Death Star had been destroyed, and the clean-up operation was beginning to get underway. Not the clean-up of the battle as you might think, but of the celebrations that followed well into the night. The Alliance leaders turned a blind eye as copious amounts of alcohol came out of secret stashes and was shared around the jubilant rebels who drank and partied harder than a lot of them had in a long time, finally having a reason to kick back a little.

A select few were cleaning up but largely the Rebel Base was quiet when Luke opened his bleary eyes. He’d celebrated with the others last night but he’d drunk very little; he was more exhausted than anything else having been up and active for well over a day on Tatooine time. He’d wanted to duck out earlier but as the hero who’d destroyed the Death Star everyone wanted him to be a large part of the celebrations. Leia had eventually managed to sneak him out when she saw his eyes drooping, telling him that there would be a medal presentation for him and Han at 3pm sharp the next day.

Rubbing his hands down his face he sat up on his bunk trying to wake himself up more. He’d been running purely on adrenaline and excitement and he suspected the Force might have been helping him along a little but now he was crashing. Hard. Luckily Leia had gotten him a single room so he’d had no interruptions during the night but he didn’t feel well rested; he felt like he’d been unconscious rather than asleep.

Luke yawned deeply, wishing more than anything to just lay back down and drift back off to sleep. But as he inhaled deeply through his nose he decided to take a long overdue shower, something he’d planned on doing last night but instead he’d just collapsed onto his bunk and passed out.

Shuffling stiffly through to the ensuite bathroom he tried to ignore how gross he felt in his skin. He’d been sweaty, grimy, and he still stank from being in that garbage compactor, and with this in mind he quickly stripped and stepped under the hot water.

He groaned in pleasure at the refreshing feeling of the water but also the heat. He’d never realised how _cold_ space would be, or rather how warm his home planet was, but now standing under the water he felt the heat penetrating into the bone-deep cold that had settled in. He stood enjoying the heat a little longer before he got to work on cleaning up. There were a few bars and bottles of different soaps and shampoos and Luke made sure to try all of them at least once.

As he was working the soap into his hair he suddenly froze. It felt . . . gritty. Pulling his fingers in front of his eyes to inspect them he saw his suspicion was correct.

Sand.

He still had sand in his hair from home.

It was in this moment that an overwhelming surge of grief overtook the boy and he broke down, the emotions he’d been suppressing coming flooding out. He realised he hadn’t had a chance to properly mourn his aunt and uncle since he’d discovered the burning rubble of his house, having to push it all out of his mind and focus on sneaking into, out of, and eventually blowing up the Death Star. He hadn’t had time to think of them, or miss them, or even give them a proper burial he realised with a loud sob.

He and his uncle had had their differences but they’d always loved each other, and his aunt had always cared for him. They were the best guardians he could have wished for.

And then there was Ben.

The old hermit Ben Kenobi; a man he’d always been warned to stay away from. A man he’d never given much credence to. A man who it turned out had held the secrets of Luke’s past, and the keys to his future as a Jedi.

But now he was gone too, and Luke really was alone.

He wasn’t sure how long he cried in the shower for but by the time he calmed himself down he found he had sunk to the floor.

Carefully moving to stand again he took a bottle of shampoo and dolloped a large amount onto his hand before scrubbing furiously through his hair. He wanted to remove all traces of sand from his scalp, he needed to start this new part of his life fresh.

Eventually he stepped out of the water and grabbed for a towel. Once he was dry he secured it around his waist and stepped back into the bedroom, heading for the drawers on the far side. Obviously, there wouldn’t be any of his own clothes in there but he hoped there would be some basic outfits; t-shirts, trousers, that kind of thing.

He was wrong. Each and every drawer was empty.

Luke sighed tiredly and looked over to the pile of his grungy clothes on the bathroom floor. He definitely didn’t want to put them back on, but it was infinitely preferable to wandering the base in just his towel until he found someone to borrow some new clothes from, so he took a deep breath and started pulling his outfit back on.

It took him a moment to get his bearings after he left his room; when Leia had led him here last night it had been late and he’d barely been paying attention meaning he had no idea where he was, so he picked a direction and began wandering.

People greeted him left and right as he navigated his way around, and it took Luke a moment to remember why everyone knew who he was - he wasn’t used to being paid this much attention.

It was only after he reached the main hangar area that he not only realised where he was but also that he had no idea where he was going. For all that everyone around here seemed to know him, he didn’t feel like he knew any of them well enough to ask them for clothes, but as he looked up he realised why his feet had unconsciously led him here. Directly in front of him was the Millennium Falcon.

He didn’t _really_ know Han that much better than he knew the others, but he was certainly more familiar with him and he felt like he could possibly call the man a friend, if not now then maybe in the near future.

The boarding ramp was open which Luke thought was as good an invitation as any and slowly climbed the slope.

“Han?” Luke called out softly to no response.

He checked the cockpit, though it was unsurprisingly empty, before making his way to the main seating area.

“Han?” He called again, not wanting to venture any further as he realised this was as far as he’d ever gone into the Falcon and he didn’t want to push his boundaries.

It turned out he didn’t have to as the captain of the ship poked his head out from one of the side corridors.

“Hey Kid,” Han walked fully into the room, sipping from a heavily dinked metal mug, “what’re you doing up so early?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Luke countered recalling how the sun had just barely risen, casting golden light throughout the hangar bay. Considering how much alcohol he’d seen Han consume last night he realised the man should still be sleeping it off.

Han shrugged one shoulder, “I’m always up early, especially in a new place. A guy like me’s gotta watch his back. But what about you? I figured we wouldn’t see you ‘til the afternoon at least,”

“I guess I was just done sleeping,” Luke shrugged this time, suppressing a yawn at the thought of sleep.

Han noticed but didn’t comment, instead wrinkling his nose, “Ahh, Kid? You do know you smell, right?”

Luke looked down, pulling at his clothes self-consciously, “Uh, yeah, that’s kind of what I came here for actually. There wasn’t a chance to pack anything from my- my uncle’s before I left with you so I don’t actually have anything else so I was wondering, that is if you don’t mind, if I could borrow something? Only until I can find some clothes of my own,”

Han frowned, he’d known about what had happened to Luke’s family and obviously the Kid and the old man hadn’t brought any luggage with them, but it only hit Han then how Luke really had lost everything. The clothes he was wearing were all he owned, and they were ruined.

“Yeah, sure Kid, let’s see what I can find,” Han put his mug down on the dejarik table before leading Luke through the ship.

“Hey, where’s Chewie?” Luke asked, noticing the absence of the co-pilot.

“Sleeping,” Han stated, “and I don’t plan on waking him up. You ever tried to wake up a sleeping Wookie?”

Luke grinned, “I take it you have?”

Han nodded solemnly, “Once, when I really had to, and I’m lucky to still have all my limbs attached,”

Luke chuckled and Han faced forward before smiling, glad Luke still had a little cheer left in him.

He led them into his room and walked to his closet while Luke glanced around the room.

It was a fairly small room made even smaller by the fact that every available surface, including the floor, was cluttered with personal items. Gadgets, trinkets and other miscellaneous items covered the small desk and bedside table and various items of clothing littered the floor around the bed which was pushed against the far wall. The bed sheets were wrinkled and the cover was a twisted knot in the middle.

Luke picked his way across the room to catch up with Han and smiled sadly; Uncle Owen would have had his hide if he'd left his room in a state half as bad as this.

“I’ve got a few things that might do for you,” Han looked to Luke and smirked, “although they might be a little big on you,”

Luke looked indignant but smiled in spite of himself, “I’m not that much smaller than you!”

Han quirked an eyebrow before resuming digging through the closet. He called him ‘Kid’ and his youth was obvious, but he was only now beginning to realise just how _young_ Luke was. As much as he denied it he really was just a kid, a kid whose world had just been turned upside down and it was clearly affecting him. And as much as he swore by his non-attachment policy Han could feel himself being drawn to Luke with a primal urge to protect him, or at least help him along – had a head on his shoulders and knew a thing or two about protecting himself, he just needed someone to watch his back. And Han had unconsciously volunteered himself.

Realising he’d stopped looking, he began searching again until he found what he was looking for, “Ah, these might work. They’re barely worn if at all, and hey they’re probably about the right size for you,”

Luke accepted the proffered garments and looked them over; a long sleeved black t-shirt, and brown pants with yellow stripes down the sides. Han was right they were practically new and still soft, but what threw Luke was that they were so dark – he’d never worn anything darker than grey on Tatooine because darker colours just soaked up the heat. But now, feeling the cold returning to him he didn’t think wearing dark colours was such a bad idea.

“You could stand there staring at them or you could try them on,” Han quipped sarcastically, leaning against the closed closet door.

Luke shot him a withering gaze before becoming slightly meek, “I, er, I’ll also need some underwear,”

Han turned wordlessly and grabbed a pair of boxers and a pair of socks, both black, from a drawer before chucking them to Luke, “Those you can keep.” He pointed at them before pointing to the door across from the bed, “Bathroom’s through there.”

Luke nodded in thanks before going into the bathroom.

As loathe as he was to expose his skin to the cold air he was desperate to shed his old clothes so he quickly stripped and changed, using a quick spray of Han’s deodorant before throwing the new clothes on. He checked his reflection in the mirror. They weren’t perfect but they fit remarkably well; the shirt was a little on the large side but the trousers fit just right. He didn’t look bad.

Until he looked at his face.

His usually tanned face was looking pretty pale, there were dark circles under his red-rimmed eyes, and his damp hair, which wasn’t helping with the cold, clung to his forehead slightly making him look ill and tired. _No wonder Han isn’t being his usual snarky self_ , Luke pondered, _probably thinks I’m about to break down or something. Maybe I am._

Luke shook himself and opened the bathroom door, stepping out into Han’s room making the occupant look up.

“Hey, that really _isn’t_ a bad fit,” he commented, standing to get the best look at the kid, “but you do need some boots,” he gestured to Luke’s socked feet before opening the closet again, “we’re probably about the same size, try these,”

Sitting on the edge of the bed Luke pulled the shiny black boots on and tapped his feet against the floor experimentally before taking a few steps around the room. He smiled at how comfortable they were before a chill ran through him and he shuddered. He tried to hide it by shaking a hand through his hair and hoping Han didn’t notice. He didn’t want the older man to think he was weak just because he couldn’t seem to keep himself warm.

He chanced a glance at Han, who was only appraising him with a calculating look. Luke sighed, he’d been noticed. He was about to come out with a quip to defend himself but Han snapped his fingers as if with a revelation and returned to the closet, leaving Luke feeling a little befuddled.

“I knew there was something missing,” came Han’s muffled voice before he pulled out a yellow jacket. “You can’t just wear a shirt; her _worshipfulness_ will want you to look a little smarter than that. And the yellow goes with the stripes on your pants,”

Luke gratefully took the jacket and slipped it on. While it didn’t look it, the jacket was thick and the inner lining was soft and warm; it immediately made him feel cosier whilst also looking smart for the occasion. He could have cried.

“Thanks Han,” Luke said, and it was clear to both of them he meant more than just the jacket.

Han shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with the praise so Luke quickly changed tact, “What about you? She’ll want you to be smart too,”

Han looked down at himself in his staple white shirt and black vest before doing up the top buttons and throwing his hands out in a dramatic _ta-dah!_ gesture, making Luke grin.

The sound of Luke’s stomach growling erupted into the room and Han smirked.

“Come on Kid, let’s see what they’re serving up for breakfast. It better be something decent, I'm starving,” he threw an arm over Luke’s shoulders and began guiding him out of the Falcon and into the base.

Luke knew then that even if things weren’t okay now, they were going to be soon – he wasn’t entirely alone.


End file.
